St. Patrick's Day Crafts for Kids

Celebrate the luck of the Irish with fun and easy art projects for your leprechauns.

Image Credit: Sara Bonisteel

Bell Pepper Stamps

You can make three- or four-leaf clovers with these natural stamps, depending on the pepper. When picking your peppers at the market, just check the bottoms to make sure each has three or four sections.

Instructions: Cut the top off of the pepper and remove the core and seeds. Dry the cut surface of the pepper with paper towels, then apply paint to the cut surface with a paintbrush. Press the painted surface onto construction paper. When you lift the pepper you will have a perfect imprint of a shamrock. Paint a stem on it and decorate the rest of the print with smaller hand-painted clovers.

Image Credit: Sara Bonisteel

Brussels Sprout Shamrocks

These tiny members of the cabbage family are hearty enough to handle being poked, manipulated, and put on display—and still keep their festive bright-green color.

Equipment: Brussels sprouts, toothpicks, and green pipe cleaners

Instructions: Push one end of a toothpick into the bottom of a Brussels sprout. Then push the other end of the toothpick into the bottom of a second Brussels sprout. There should be about a half-inch space between the two sprouts where the toothpick is exposed (it will look like a dumbbell). Repeat this process with a second toothpick and two more Brussels sprouts. When complete, lay one "dumbbell" across the other perpendicularly so the exposed center sections of the toothpicks cross. Bind the crossed toothpicks together by wrapping them with the top half of a green pipe cleaner, and your shamrock is complete. Repeat with more Brussels sprouts and toothpicks until you have the desired number of "shamrocks." Display the finished products arranged in a circle on a platter for a festive accent or centerpiece. When not on display, store the crafts in the fridge.

Image Credit: Sara Bonisteel

Potato Stamps

Spuds are an integral part of Irish culinary culture, and they make an excellent tool for art projects. Any medium- to large-size potato variety will work for this hand-carved craft stamp.

Instructions: Start by cutting a potato in half crosswise. Next, press a holiday-themed cookie cutter about a half inch into the cut surface of the potato, and use a small sharp knife to carve away the potato around the cookie cutter's edges. Continue cutting all the way around the cookie cutter until the desired shape is achieved. If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can use a knife to carve potato halves into simple shapes like leprechaun hats, four-leaf clovers, and pots of gold.
Dry the cut surfaces of the potato to wipe away any excess moisture and starch, then dip the potato into the paint, and start stamping. Adults can create the stamps ahead of time for younger children. The potatoes will start to dry out, so you'll want to use them within a few hours of cutting the stamps.

Image Credit: Sara Bonisteel

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Celebrate the luck of the Irish with fun and easy art projects for your leprechauns.

By Kendra Vizcaino-Lico

We all know that vegetables are great for kids to eat, but they can also make nifty art projects for your little leprechauns. Peppers, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts can be used to make sculptures, stamps, and prints. So, this St. Paddy's Day, why not use veggies to make wonderful works of art? We guarantee that Irish eyes (and your children's) will be smiling by the time these crafts are complete.